


On the Other Side

by Morbidmuch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-12 18:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2119692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morbidmuch/pseuds/Morbidmuch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Over one night he became the Boy Who Almost Died, and nothing would ever be the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 

There was an unusual flurry of activities on King’s Cross station that morning, but it seemed like no one was paying much attention to it. The people of London had accepted that people in strange clothing and with strange behaviour was part of their everyday life, which is why no one as much as batted an eye when a large tabby cat suddenly came running down between platforms 9 and 10.

 

“Elliot, get back here!” 

 

A young woman in her late teens came rushing after the cat, and caught it just before it was about to board a train to Cardiff. She pushed a piece of blonde hair from her face, and tightened her grip on the now sulking feline.

 

“Don’t give me that look, you’re lucky I don’t stuff you in a carrier,” she scolded, and the cat meowed. 

 

“Kayla, how many times have I told you to keep a better hold of him?” An older woman, who shared her daughter’s blue eyes and lightly freckled face, came up to them, pushing a trolley loaded with trunks in front of her. 

 

“Sorry mum,” Kayla smiled sheepishly. 

 

“No matter, no matter.” Cheryl Wood was a very put together woman, with a motherly charm about her that made her a favourite amongst her children's friends. “You go first through the platform with Elliot, and I’ll follow.” 

 

Kayla smiled, an action that lit up her face, and turned around to walk briskly towards the brick wall separating the two tracks. When one would expect her to just lean against the brick, she simply went through it. The steaming scarlet Hogwarts Express appeared before her. She waited until her mother had gone through, and then they walked along the platform together. 

 

Stopping every other yard  to say hi to someone she knew, it took several minutes before Kayla Wood and her mother reached the luggage compartment, where the luggage was hauled in. Armed with only a small bag and the tabby cat in her arms, Kayla hugged her mother tightly. 

 

“Please be careful, and don’t forget to write,” Cheryl urged her daughter, running her hands up and down her daughter’s arms. She couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t worried. Too much had happened in the past year. 

 

“I won’t, I promise,” Kayla smiled, and embraced her mother once more. “Hug dad and Oliver for me.” 

 

“Of course.” Cheryl let her daughter go. She couldn’t help but to feel some sort of significance to it, though she brushed it off. She felt the same way every year, seeing her children off at the train. It was easier now with Oliver out of school, because it meant one less goodbye. She watched as her daughter turned and went towards the cluster of students saying goodbye to their parents. 

 

Kayla scanned the crowd, her height being an advantage, and couldn’t help but to smile when she saw a familiar dark brown head of hair.

 

“Sonya!” 

 

The shorter woman turned around, and smiled when she saw her best friend. “Kayla!” The two women embraced, and when they parted Kayla noticed the gleaming silver badge on her best friend’s robes.

 

“Congratulations! Head Girl, your mum must be so proud.”

 

Sonya laughed, her nose crinkling and her green eyes sparkling. “She was when I explained it’s basically the same thing as in the muggle world.” For Sonya, coming from a one parent home with her mum being a muggle, it was frustrating sometimes when her mother didn’t understand things that were self-explanatory to her. Sonya’s father, an Italian-born wizard, had been killed when she had just started Hogwarts.

 

A pale arm was slung over her shoulder, and  the black haired boy it belonged to smirked at them. “Head Girl indeed.” 

 

“Zachary Chambers, you watch your mouth!” Sonya gasped, and elbowed her boyfriend in the stomach. 

 

Kayla only laughed and stepped forward to hug her friend.  Right about then the train whistle blew, and the three friends all boarded the train. Kayla and Zachary went to find a compartment, while Sonya was required in the prefect carriage. Once they had found an empty compartment and closed the door, Kayla felt it was safe to let Elliot down from her arms. He stretched out his legs as she placed him on the seat next to her, and then promptly rolled into a small ball of fur and fell asleep. 

 

“How was the rest of your summer?” she asked, tearing her eyes from her cat to look at her friend sitting opposite her. 

 

“Uneventful,” he replied, toeing off his sneakers and finding a more comfortable position. “Mostly just hung out with Sonya, or Damon. How about you?” 

 

“It was good. Oliver came to visit for a few weeks, and spent the entire time trying to convince me to try out for the Quidditch team this year.” 

 

Zachary laughed, remembering her brother’s enthusiasm for all things Quidditch. “And did he succeed?”

 

Kayla shook her head, and reached out to run her hand through Elliot’s fur. “Sorry, you’ll have to manage without me.”

 

“I have a feeling this is our year,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “It bloody well has to be, otherwise I’m scared Roger will off himself.”

 

The two friends continued their conversation, and it didn’t take long for Sonya to come and join them. She sat down next to Zachary, and leaned against his shoulder.

 

“That was interesting.” 

 

“What do you mean?” Kayla asked, finishing of plaiting her hair, securing a hair tie at the end and letting the plait hang down her right shoulder. 

 

“You’ll never guess who made Head Boy?” Sonya sat up and pushed a strand of hair back from her forehead. 

 

“Cedric Diggory?” Kayla asked, raising her eyebrows. When Sonya nodded, she sighed. “I can’t say I’m surprised. He does appear to be perfect, does he not?” 

 

There had been a lot of speculation of what actually happened to the two boys when Harry came back bleeding and crying, and Cedric stupefied, from the maze of the Triwizard Tournament. Not everyone believed Harry’s claim of Voldemort’s return, saying it was a cry for attention, among other things. Kayla honestly didn’t know what to believe. She doubted it was attention related. On the contrary; Harry seemed to hate any attention being drawn upon himself, which was understandable.

 

“So it would seem,” Zachary said through bites of his sandwich. “Cho certainly seems to think the sun shines out of his arse.” 

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend. Always so eloquent,” Sonya said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. 

 

“You’ve got to give him credit for his ability to speak and eat at the same time. Not many Ravenclaws can do that,” Kayla chuckled. 

 

“I’ve always found Cho a bit odd, to be honest,” Sonya agreed. “She’s a sweet girl, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s the way she latched on to Cedric at the start of the Tournament last year. Didn’t sit right with me, is all I’m saying.” 

 

“Aw, now you’re being unfair. I think she likes him for real.” Kayla opened the package of sandwiches her mum made her, and took a bite. “Besides, don’t you remember how it is to be young and in love?” She winked, and her brunette friend laughed. 

 

“Do you? Honestly Kay, you lived like a bloody nun last year.” 

 

“I did not!” She defended herself with a laugh. “I went to the Yule Ball with Adrian Pucey, didn’t I? And I can assure you, there was nothing nun-like about that evening.”

 

“You tart,” Zachary spoke up from where he now had positioned himself with his head in Sonya’s lap. “Always pegged you for a Slytherin groupie, I did.” 

 

Kayla narrowed her eyes, though she knew her friend was only teasing. “Watch your tongue Chambers, or I’ll hex it.” She actually liked Adrian; he was a somewhat quiet boy who lacked the usual attitude displayed by most Slytherin students.

 

A few hours later,  she left the compartment to use the loo, with the warning words of “No funny business” to her friends. She met other students in the corridor, among them fellow Ravenclaw Roger Davies, and the Weasley twins. On her way back, she nearly bumped into a tall figure wearing yellow and black robes. 

 

“Oh, sorry!” She said in passing, and slid back into the compartment. 

 

Cedric Diggory didn’t have time for the words he was about to say; in less than two seconds she had gone back to her friends. So did he; entering the compartment that contained his closest friends, and Cho. His girlfriend. Matt and Benjamin were discussing girls (no surprise there). They talked about the girls in their year, and the possibility of dating any of them.

 

“What about Sonya Harris, from Ravenclaw?” 

 

“Is she the one with the big...” Matt held his hands up in front of his chest, and Cedric snorted.

 

“That’s real classy.” 

 

Beside him, Cho grabbed his hand. It was soft, and warm. Not clammy, just a pleasant heat.

 

“Is all fun and games, mate,” Benjamin smiled, and then turned to Matt. “Yeah, that’s the one.” 

 

“She’s taken. Dating Zachary Chambers.” Matt looked thoughtful for a second. “What about Kayla Wood? I mean, if the name is any indication...” As Matt and Benjamin laughed, Cedric was thinking. Kayla hadn’t spared him so much as a second glance after bumping into him, which he found peculiar. Not that he was under the impression that he was someone you _should_ spare a second glance at, but because most of the students already had. And third glances, and fourth glances. All curious about what had really happened that June night when he and Harry Potter appeared in front of the maze. He tried, and not often enough successfully, to block the thoughts of that night. 

 

“You two are absolutely disgusting, you know that right?” He was pulled out of his thoughts when Lori looked up from her book to address her house mates. 

 

“We’re only kidding, aren’t we?” Benjamin said, nudging his friend, who was quick to agree. “Come on Lori, no harm done.” 

 

She scowled at him, and then went back to reading her book, a muggle romance novel from the looks of it. Out of all the Hufflepuff girls in his year, Cedric liked Lori the best. She was straight forward but still sweet, and always told it like it was. They had been on one disastrous date in their fourth year, and decided quickly after they were better off as friends.

 

The conversation in the compartment quickly turned to discussing this year’s Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and why in the name of Merlin their course book was called  _Defensive Magical Theory_ . Cedric wouldn’t admit it, but he was worried. His father had said something to him before leaving the platform earlier that day, something he couldn’t get his mind off. Things were changing; the Ministry of Magic was interfering with Hogwarts business in a way it never had before. Not wanting it to be discussed, he kept his musings to himself. 

 

In a compartment not far from the one where Cedric sat, Zachary’s eyes was being covered by Sonya’s hands as Kayla changed into her uniform. The couple had changed (among other things) when she was in the bathroom, and with no more than ten minutes left until reaching Hogsmeade, Kayla decided to change. Doing up the last button on her shirt, the blonde called out to her friend to pull her hands away.

 

“I’m never going to learn how to do this properly,” she sighed as Sonya helped her with the blue and bronze striped neck tie. Once it was in place, she pulled on the thin black sweater, and rolled up the sleeves. 

 

“You’ll learn. If not, there’s a charm for doing it.” 

 

Kayla smirked. “The trick will be not strangling yourself, though.” Sitting down again, she ran her fingers through Elliot’s fur. He’d been sleeping nearly the entire trip, lazy as only a feline can be, but now he needed to be put in a carrier. He really hated it, and a certain level of deception was always necessary if she was to do it without getting scratched. “Wake up,” she cooed, and lifted the cat into her lap. His body was practically limp, and he looked at her through bleary green eyes. Quickly, Sonya held up the carrier and before you could say ‘Quidditch’, Kayla had stuffed the cat into it and closed the hatch. Elliot hissed at her. “Sorry El, but you know you have to.”

 

The train was slowing down, and the trio made sure they hadn’t forgotten something under the seats. They were even more thorough ever since Zachary forgot his bag under his seat the previous year, and went almost a week before he noticed it was missing. When the train stopped, they joined the other students in the corridor, and Kayla took a deep breath. She loved the smell of night air. When they came out on the platform, the trio walked quickly towards the self drawn carriages to get out of the rain that had started pouring down not an hour ago.

 

“Excuse me, are there any seats left?” A female voice with an Irish accent spoke up just as they were stepping into the carriages, and Kayla looked back to see Lori from Hufflepuff stand there. 

 

“Lori, hi! Of course, just hop in.” 

 

As Kayla sat down, Lori stepped up into the carriage, pushing her wet strawberry blonde hair from her face. Following her was Cedric Diggory, he too stroking his wet hair from his face.

 

“How was your summer?” Sonya asked the two Hufflepuffs politely, and the ride up to Hogwarts was spent talking about their summer. Kayla had them all laughing with a very spot on impersonation of her brother, trying to convince her to join the Quidditch team. 

 

“You’re not joining then?” Cedric said between laughs, and Kayla shook her head. 

 

“Nah. Short of Roger Davies going down on his knees and begging me because they don’t have another Keeper, I’m gonna sit it out this year. You’re still Captain I presume?” 

 

Cedric nodded. “Yeah,  I am. Hopefully we get a good team this year.” 

 

“Congratulations on making Head Boy, by the way. Though I can’t say any of us was surprised,” Zacharias said, and the others chimed in as well. Two pink spots appeared high on Cedric’s cheeks as he thanked them. 

 

It wasn’t long until the carriages stopped, and Kayla smiled to herself. Finally back at Hogwarts.

 

 

\--

 

Like it? Loathe it? Love it? Let me know. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 

The entrance hall was packed with students, and the flaming torches on the walls cast a warm glow over them and the stone walls. Going into the Great Hall, Kayla saw a lot of friends and quickly they were engaged in talks about the summer. Amber James and Emily Thomas, both Ravenclaw, had been on vacation to New York together where they met a man who claimed to be Dracula. Gryffindor John Tait had accidentally splinched himself while Apparating, and was now missing a toe. Susan Munroe, also Gryffindor, had chopped of eight inches of hair over the summer, and smiled when Sonya complimented her on her new hairstyle. 

 

The trio stopped at the Ravenclaw table and found seats among the other 7 th years. More summer discussions took place, and Kayla looked over at Sonya when the latter elbowed her in the stomach. 

 

“Do you think that’s the new Defence teacher?” 

 

Kayla looked in the same direction as her friend and saw a woman at the high table she didn’t recognise, a short and squat woman with mousy hair and an appearance that resembled a toad.

 

“I hope not, she looks more ill-suited for the job than Lockhart did. I might even prefer Snape as a teacher,” Kayla answered, and Sonya snorted. 

 

Minutes later, the doors opened and Professor McGonagall entered with a group of wide eyed first years behind her. They were lead to the front of the Hall, and McGonagall placed the worn Sorting Hat on the stool. It started to sing, and as the song went on, the frown on Kayla’s face deepened. She looked to her best friend, who wore a similar expression. Once the song was done, they clapped their hands along with everyone else, though whispers and mumbled words laced the clapping.

 

“What do you reckon all that was about?” Leah Graham, a stunning girl with skin as dark as Sonya’s hair, asked.

 

“I’ve certainly never gotten advice from a hat before,” Zachary quipped in, and Kayla could only agree. 

 

McGonagall, who wanted  the sorting to begin, gave the students still whispering a scorching look, and when they quieted down she looked down at the parchment in her hands, and read the first name. 

 

“Abercrombie, Euan!” 

 

For every student placed in Ravenclaw,  Kayla clapped and cheered, though the sorting hat’s words were still in the back of her mind. When the last student had been placed (Zeller, Rose to Hufflepuff) Dumbledore stood up to welcome them. 

 

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, stretching his hands wide  with a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, and this is not it. Tuck in!" 

 

At once, every available food you could possibly imagine  appeared on the tables. Kayla loaded her plate full; she was starving after not eating more than sandwiches on the train a couple of hours ago. For the first few minutes not much talking went on between the 7 th year students, they were all busy eating. 

 

“I swear, this is the best time of year,” Damon Clark said as he shoved food into his mouth. “No food can match this, ever.” 

 

“True. Not even your mum’s food, Kayla,” Zachary replied, and Kayla held up her fist, which he bumped. 

 

“Agreed,” she said through bites of steak and mashed potatoes. Looking up when she once again felt her best friend’s elbow in her ribs, she swallowed her food before speaking. “What’s with the elbow? It actually hurts, you’re aware of that, right? You’ve got a wicked sharp elbow.” 

 

“Adrian Pucey is looking at you,” Sonya said, her voice low so the others wouldn’t hear. 

 

Kayla averted her gaze to right above  Damon’s shoulder and found that indeed, Adrian Pucey, Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team, was looking at her. When their eyes met he smiled, a warm smile that revealed a dimple in his left cheek. He raised his hand and gave a small wave. Kayla smiled and waved back, and then continued on with her eating. He was good-looking, there was no doubt about that, and nice too. 

 

“I honestly don’t know what to do with you,” Sonya sighed, shaking her head at her best friend’s utter disinterest in people of the opposite sex. 

 

“Ship me off to slaughter like a lamb,” Kayla answered with a bright smile and then went back to her food. 

 

“Zachary tells me you’re not trying out for the Quidditch team. How come?” Roger Davies, captain and chaser on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, spoke up. 

 

“Why is everyone so obsessed with me being on the team?” Kayla looked at her friends, who all suddenly became very interested in their food. 

 

“Because you’re bloody good, that’s why. I thought you liked Quidditch?” Roger insisted, his food forgotten.

 

“I do!” Kayla defended herself. “As much as one must like Quidditch when one is related to Oliver Wood. I just feel I need to focus on my studies. I need to get at least an ‘Exceeds Expectations’ on my Arithmancy N.E.W.T. or else my dad will have my head.” 

 

Once everybody was full on both  food and dessert, all the plates and half empty trays disappeared. Dumbledore stood once again. He did his normal back to school speech; the forbidden forest, Filch, and also the welcoming of two new professors. Kayla hadn’t even became aware of the fact that Hagrid wasn’t there, so she was surprised when Dumbledore welcomed back Professor Grubbly-Plank as the teacher in care of magical creatures. Also, he introduced the short toad-like woman as Professor Umbridge, who was indeed their new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Kayla and Sonya exchanged a look. When they looked back at Dumbledore they realised that he had stopped speaking, and was instead looking at the new teacher. Kayla saw that Umbridge was standing up, which was difficult to see because she was as short standing up as sitting down, and the Great Hall suddenly went so silent you could hear a pin drop. No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. 

 

Dumbledore sat down, and Umbridge stepped up with her hands clasped in front of her.  She looked out over the students with what Kayla thought was supposed to be a warm smile. 

 

“Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. And how lovely to see all your bright happy faces smiling up at me.” 

 

Meeting Zachary’s eyes, Kayla had to suppress a laugh when he grimaced.

 

“I’m sure we’re all going to be very good friends. The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizard of vital importance. Although each Headmaster has brought something new to this historic school. Progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected and prune practices that ought to be prohibited.” 

 

She went on, and Kayla f elt her focus slipping away. Instead she twirled a piece of hair around her fingers. Again, and again, and again. Next to her, Sonya and Zachary were holding hands underneath the table. A glance towards the Slytherin table revealed that Adrian was paying about as much attention as she was, and when their eyes met for the second time that evening she gave a small smile. Looking back at the Hufflepuff table, she saw Lori and Cedric discreetly playing thumb-wars, their hands covered by the table whilst still appearing to be listening, no doubt due to the shiny Head Boy badge on Cedric’s robes. At the Gryffindor table Fred and George Weasley was whispering quietly to each other, and from experience Kayla figured they weren’t saying nice things. The silence that usually filled the Great Hall when Dumbledore spoke was broken, the students were now giggling and whispering to their friends. Umbridge didn’t seemed dazed by this at all, even though as far as Kayla could see, there were very few who appeared to be listening. 

 

Umbridge went to sit down, and Dumbledore started clapping. A few students began, but no one had really realised that the speech was finished and didn’t have the time to start before Dumbledore stood up again. 

 

“Thank you Professor Umbridge, that really was most illuminating,” Dumbledore spoke. “As I was saying, Quidditch try outs will be held...”

 

“Illuminating? That was rubbish!” Sonya whispered feverishly, but Kayla shushed her. Was it her imagination, or was Umbridge looking at them? 

 

“She certainly knows how to bore a crowd,” Damon said lowly, and several students sitting nearly started to giggle. 

 

“What do you suppose she means, though?” Roger interjected. 

 

“I think,” Kayla, who now had thought about the parts of the speech she **had** been paying attention to, spoke, “she means that the Ministry of Magic will have a saying in what goes on about Hogwarts. I recognize her now; she works for Fudge. I saw her this summer when I went with dad to the Ministry.” 

 

“Like we haven’t enough to worry about this year,” Emily muttered as she gathered her auburn hair in a ponytail. 

 

Movement among the students alerted the group of friends that  Dumbledore had excused them all, and it was time to go to bed. Kayla, Sonya and Zachary lingered to let the first years go ahead. 

 

“They’re so small. Were we really that small?” Kayla mused as the trio followed the other Ravenclaw students up the marble stairs. 

 

“I know I was,” Sonya answered and hopped over the invisible step. 

 

Zachary nudged her arm.  “You still are.” 

 

Talking and laughing on their way up, they became more and more out of breath the higher they got. In the lead, they heard the newly appointed prefects Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein tell the first-years about Ravenclaw’s history.

 

“How long do you reckon it’ll take for us to get back in shape? Last year it was a month. Think we can shave it down to two weeks?” Sonya panted with a smile, looking at her best friend. 

 

“I’m game,” Kayla agreed. 

 

Finally  the cluster of students in front of them stopped, causing them to halt in the middle of the winding stairs. Someone, presumably Padma or Anthony, spoke the right answer to the riddle asked by the bronze eagle shaped knocker, because it didn’t take long before the students started to move again. Once Kayla was inside the common room, she suddenly felt like she was home. 

 

The common room almost made you feel like you were under the bare night sky; the domed ceiling painted with stars. The wide, circular, airy room was very soothing, and Kayla spent more time there than anywhere else in the castle. Arched windows provided during the daytime a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains, with sills so deep you could sit in them. Opposite the entrance door was the a door that lead up to the dormitories, and beside it was a plinth, on which a life-size statue in white marble of Rowena Ravenclaw was situated.

 

All of the first years, and a good portion of the rest of Ravenclaw house, went up to their dormitories, but the trio stayed in the common room. Yawning, Kayla popped down on the couch, on her back and looking up at the stars in the ceiling. A soft meow was heard, and then Elliot jumped up on her stomach. She raised a hand to pet him, and he started purring while pressing his head closer to her hand. The friends made some small talk, but it became soon evident that they were all too tired to carry on any stimulating conversation. Kayla gathered Elliot in her arms, and they went towards the dormitories. Saying goodnight, Zachary went left and Kayla and Sonya went right through the door labelled ‘Seventh year’.

 

The other girls in were already in bed, so Kayla was extra quiet as to not disturb them. Elliot was put down on her bed while she went to the bathroom to clean up. Once in her pyjamas, she crawled under the downy covers and closed her eyes. Elliot occupied the space behind her knees, and his purring could be heard in the otherwise silent room. Before she could think about falling asleep, she did.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 

Breakfast the next morning was a much more livelier affair than dinner had been the night before. People were chatting, laughing, reading the Daily Prophet and running around comparing their timetables with their friends. Kayla held a piece of half eaten toast in her hand while reading the Daily Prophet when a high voice spoke close to where the seventh years were sitting together.

 

“Seventh years, pay attention. I have your timetables!” 

 

Kayla looked up and smiled when she saw Professor Flitwick, her Head of House. “Good morning, Professor! Did you have a nice summer?”

 

“It was acceptable, Ms Wood,” he replied and handed her a parchment. “Here’s your timetable.”

 

Taking it, she eyed it while finishing her toast. It didn’t look too bad, she had enough free periods that she wouldn’t need to study an awful lot on the weekends. Looking over today’s schedule, she found that she had Herbology and Charms before lunch, and Potions after lunch. She folded it in half and put it down in her book bag, before continuing with her breakfast.

 

Nearly ten minutes later, more than half of all seventh years made their way to the greenhouses. It was a bright and sunny day, and Kayla smiled to herself as the warmth of the sun reached her skin. There was an underlying chill that meant fall was coming closer, but for now it was still warm outside, and Kayla made a mental note to spend as much time outside as she could.

 

The students took their placed in the greenhouse, and Kayla was joined by Zachary. Sonya wasn’t in this class. Also, Kayla smiled at both Lori and Cedric, as well as Alicia Spinnet and the Weasley twins.

 

“Settle down,” Professor Sprout called out from the front of the greenhouse, and then waited patiently for everybody to be quiet before speaking again. “As you all know, your seventh and final year at Hogwarts is the most difficult one. The results of your N.E.W.T.s will in many ways determine what kind of career you will have.” 

 

“I’ll bet you four sickles we’ll get the same speech in all our classes this week,” Kayla whispered to Zachary, who grinned. 

 

“Deal.”

 

Cedric knew he should be paying attention to what Professor Sprout was saying, but he was distracted by the whispers he could hear behind him. Whispers about him. He should be used to it by now, but he wasn’t. With a sigh, he recalled the first week he was home for the summer. It had been a nightmare, his parents had been fighting since the moment he stepped inside the front door, and added to that was the discovery of at least five reporters from different papers, not just British ones, all looking for an interview and trampling down his mother's flowers in the process. He couldn’t bear more than a few weeks, and announced one morning at breakfast that he was spending the rest of the summer holiday with Cho and her family in Scotland. And he did; apparating the next day with the promise of being back a few days before the new school year.

 

An elbow hitting him in the side pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked at Lori just as Professor Sprout handed out the assignment for the day. He quickly read through the text, and then turned to Lori so they could begin.

 

By the time Kayla and Zachary met up with Sonya and the rest of their year for lunch, they agreed that this year was going to be crazy. They had already gotten homework in every class, and it didn’t seem to let up soon. Sitting down, Sonya groaned and rested her head on Zachary’s shoulder.

 

“Tired, love?” He asked, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her head. 

 

She hummed and sat up straight. “Exhausted. I need coffee, and food.”

 

“How was Divination?” Kayla asked as she loaded her plate full of food. 

 

“Fun,” Sonya answered, the word muffled due to the amount of food in her mouth. “Trelawney was as wacked as usual.” 

 

“Has anyone had Umbridge yet?” Roger asked, and was met with a resounding no from around the table. 

 

“First thing tomorrow morning,” Leah said, pushing a strand of black hair behind her ear as she drank her pumpkin juice. “Should be interesting. My brother works with her, he says she’s a real hag.” 

 

“More like a toad,” Kayla snorted. 

 

After eating, the trio made their way to the grounds to soak up some sunlight. They weren’t the only ones, it seemed like nearly everyone else had the same plan, including some teachers. Sitting down on the grass, Kayla leaned back on her elbows and turned her face towards the sun. The friends were quiet for a few minutes, just sitting and enjoying the weather, until the silence was broken.

 

“Hi Kayla.” 

 

The blonde opened her eyes, and struggled for a few seconds in the bright light before she recognized the dark hair and dimpled smile of Adrian Pucey. She sat up and shielded her eyes with her hand. “Adrian, hi!”

 

“How was your summer?” He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked down at her. 

 

“Good, it was good. How was yours?” 

 

He gave a dimpled grin. “Good, but I’m glad to be back.” One of his friends called his name, and he looked away for a second before his dark eyes met Kayla’s. “I’ve gotta run, but I’ll see you later?”

 

“Yeah,” she nodded, and watched as he walked away.

 

A low whistle made her snap her head to the right, and she saw both Sonya and Zachary grinning. “Kayla and Adrian, sitting in a tree,” Sonya teased, watching as her friend’s cheeks turned pink.

 

“Sod off,” Kayla said with a twinkle in her eye, and stood up. “I’m off to Potions, you coming?” 

 

Both Sonya and Zachary continued to tease Kayla all the way down to the dungeons, and by the time they joined the other students outside the classroom, Kayla’s face was dark. The blonde walked over to where Lori and Cedric was standing with a few other Hufflepuffs, practically growling.

 

“I will give five galleons to the person who can get those two to shut up.” 

 

Luckily, for everyone, the classroom door slammed open, and class began. Entering the dim and damp room,. Kayla opted for a table in the front. Potions was her favourite class, despite the grim and hateful teacher who taught it. Zachary and Sonya joined her at the table, and the former of the two kissed Kayla’s cheek quickly, and then gave her a cheeky grin.

 

“Let us begin,” Snape’s low, baritone voice resounded through out the room, and the class immediately quieted down. Many things could be said about Snape, Kayla mused, but he could make a class silent like nobody else. “I will not go over the importance of your N.E.W.T.s, as I am sure your other teachers has already informed you of such. Today we will brew a Blood-Replenishing Potion. Can anyone tell me what this potion is for?” Kayla’s hand shot up in the air, and Snape’s dark eyes went to her before they travelled farther back in the room. “Mr. Diggory.”

 

“It tops up the blood levels of the drinker after blood loss from injury or otherwise,” Cedric answered as he lowered his arm, and Snape nodded almost indiscernibly.

 

“Correct. 5 points for Hufflepuff. ” He flicked his wand at the board, on which the instructions for the potion appear. “You have two hours.” 

 

For Kayla, the two hours passed fast, and soon she was setting her flask of the potion on Snape’s desk. Waiting for Zachary and Sonya, the friends walked up to the ground level before splitting up, as the couple both had lessons and Kayla did not.

 

“I’ll see you at dinner!” Kayla called out as she continued up towards the Ravenclaw tower. It took entirely too long, according to herself, and she was panting by the time she stood in front of the bronze knocker. 

 

“What is it that no man ever yet sees, which never was but is always to be?” It spoke in a loud clear voice. 

 

Kayla thought about it for a moment, and then answered, “Tomorrow,” to which the door opened. The common room was deserted, and Kayla went to the dorm room to dump her book bag on her bed. Elliot, who had been sleeping on that very bed, opened his bleary eyes and meowed softly at her.

 

“Hi El,” Kayla smiled and ran her fingers through the soft fur, which caused the cat to start to purr. “I need to go to the library, do you wanna come?” The feline blinked slowly at her twice, and then shut them and angled his body away from her. “I didn’t think so, you lazy bastard,” Kayla chuckled. “I’ll see you later then.” Dumping the contents of her book bag on the bed, she grabbed her Herbology books and put them back in the bag before making her way down to the library. 

 

All the tables were occupied, and she let out a frustrated sigh, and was just about to leave to sit somewhere else when someone called her name. She smiled when she saw Lori sitting by herself, waving her over. The blonde walked up to the table and sat down.

 

“Hi, I’m not disturbing you am I?”

 

Lori shook her head, causing her red hair to bounce around her head. “Not at all, I could use a bit of company actually. And some help, this Herbology homework is wicked hard.”

 

Kayla chuckled. “I like the way you think.”

 

The two girls worked for a few minutes, before Lori put down her quill and leaned forward. “So what was all that teasing Sonya and Zachary did before about? Anything juicy?” She wiggled her eyebrows, causing Kayla to snort.

 

“So far from juicy as you can get, actually. Adrian Pucey talked to me during lunch, that’s what they were teasing me about.” 

 

“Oh, some inter-housing love?” Lori teased, and laughed when she saw the look on Kayla’s face. “I’m just pulling your leg. There’s plenty of inter-housing love going on already.” She rolled her eyes. 

 

Kayla frowned. “What do you mean?”

 

Lori sighed, and looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Cho is really starting to get on my nerves. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that Ced’s happy, but she's so...” she furrowed her brows, searching for the right word, “docile. It's like she has no opinions of her own. And she's always agreeing with everything Cedric says or does.”

 

“Maybe that’s what he needs?” Kayla asked. “Especially now with all this you-know-who business. But then again, you know him better than I do.” 

 

“Yeah,” Lori agreed. “And like I said, I’m happy that he’s happy. He deserves it.” 

 

“What about you, anyone special in your life?” 

 

To her surprise, the redhead blushed. “His name is Aaron, I met him over the summer when I was visiting my aunt. He’s a Muggle.”

 

Kayla barely raised an eyebrow at Lori’s statement. There were many wizards and witches who thought that Muggles were filth, but she wasn’t one of them. “Does he know about you?”

 

Lori shook her head. “No, I didn’t know how to tell him. He thinks I’m in a Muggle boarding school in Scotland.”

 

“I’m glad you’ve found someone,” she said sincerely. “And I hope it works out when you tell him.”

 

The Hufflepuff girl smiled. “Thanks Kayla. We should really try to get some studying done before dinner.”

 

Kayla agreed, and the two girls continued with their Herbology homework. By the time the bell rang for dinner, they were writing down the answer for the final question.

 

“I’m famished,” Kayla said as she closed her book. “Do you mind waiting here so I can drop of my books before dinner?”

 

“Not at all,” Lori smiled, and Kayla returned it before rising from her seat and making her way back up to the Ravenclaw tower. 

 

As she once again entered the dorm, she laughed when she saw that Elliot was still sleeping on her bed.

 

“You are hopeless,” she cooed as she stroked his fur. 

 

The cat showed no sign of waking up, so she put her books down and after a moments hesitation she grabbed her sketchbook and pencil case and shoved them into her bag before rushing to meet up with Lori.

 

Drawing was something she’d done her entire life, ever since she first picked up a pencil at the age of four. Her grandfather, who had passed away when she was fourteen, was an artist who would always sit and draw with her when they met. It was one of the things from the Muggle world that she liked the best. That and going to the cinema. Wasting no time, she slung the strap over her shoulder and made her way back to the library.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it? Loathe it? Love it? Let me know.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They split up once they came to the Great Hall, each going to sit with their own house. Kayla found a spot next to Sonya, who greeted her with a smile. Conversations about everything between heaven and earth were running high at the table, but when Zachary joined them all conversations seemed to shift to one.

“Did you hear that Harry Potter got a week’s detention with Umbridge?” 

“He did what?!” Roger exclaimed, which caused everyone who was sitting close to him to look up. 

“I just talked to Fred Weasley, and apparently she was going off on why they didn’t need to do practical magic in her class, and Potter started to mouth off and say that they needed to be prepared for You-Know-Who, and whatnot.”

“Has he gone completely bonkers?” Sonya gasped, looking over at the Gryffindor table. Everyone else did the same, and Kayla noticed that most of the student body were doing the same. 

“I doubt that anyone of us would have reacted differently,” Kayla said, spearing a roasted potato with her fork.

“I don’t believe a word that Harry Potter said about this whole thing. My dad says he’s bonkers, and that Dumbledore is getting senile,” Emily spoke up, and Kayla frowned. 

“So what, you think that Harry stunned Cedric, cut himself and made the whole thing up because he wanted the attention?” the blonde spoke in disbelief, which turned to borderline rage when two pink spots appeared on Emily’s cheeks. “I think you’re bonkers.”

“The Daily Prophet said-” Emily tried to defend herself, but was interrupted.

“The Daily Prophet is rubbish,” Sonya snorted. 

Heavy debate broke out amongst the Ravenclaws, and Kayla sighed as she continued eating. It seemed like there were two types of opinions in this; the ones who believed Harry and those who didn’t. Adding to the whole thing was that Cedric had yet to say anything about it, not publicly at least. She wondered silently what he thought of all this. After all, only him and Harry knew what really happened that night. 

\--

After dinner Kayla made her way to the lake, looking over the sweeping lawns as she found a shady spot underneath a tree. Sitting down with her back against the trunk, she took out her sketchbook and pencil case and turned the sketchbook onto a page which held a half-finished drawing of Sonya and Zachary. Choosing a pencil, she studied the paper for a moment before continuing with the drawing. It was a perfect afternoon for sitting outside; just enough wind and the sun sitting high in the blue sky. A strand of hair flew across her face, and she reached up and pulled it back behind her ear before continuing. She was so focused on what she was doing she didn’t see the figure walking by until he spoke. 

“May I join you?”

Kayla looked up and saw Cedric standing there, his hands in his pockets. For a moment she lost the ability to speak; she had never realized just how beautiful he was. Shaking those thoughts away while wondering where they had come from, she smiled.

“Yes, of course.” 

Cedric sat down on the ground next to her, leaning back on his hands. His eyes shifted to the book on her lap. “What are you doing?” 

“Sketching,” she answered, feeling slightly flustered as she closed the sketchbook. She didn’t like to show her work to people, it was too personal. 

“You’re very good,” he said sincerely, and watched as Kayla’s cheeks turned pink. 

“Thank you. So what are you doing here, just enjoying an after dinner stroll?”

Sighing, Cedric drove a hand through his hair. “Clearing my head, to be honest. I thought the fresh air would give me some perspective.” 

“And did it?” 

“I don’t know,” he replied. 

“How was your summer?” Kayla asked, but realized her mistake quickly when she saw the look on Cedric’s face, she quickly realized her mistake. “I’m sorry, it was a daft question.”

“It’s okay,” he mumbled. “It’s been weird, to say the least. I still don’t know how to feel about all this.” 

“About You-Know-Who?” The question was asked with caution, she didn’t want to upset him. Again, the look on his face confirmed her question. “Do you feel like talking about it?” she offered, and their eyes met. 

“I don’t know what to say,” he sighed. “It feels like it’s the only thing people can talk about, what happened in that maze, and I’m not sure why. I don’t know how many actually believes Harry, and how many thinks he stunned me and made the whole thing up.”

“I believe him,” Kayla said simply. 

Cedric grinned, and she noticed the left side of his smile went up higher than the right side. “I always knew you were a clever girl.”

Kayla laughed. “Well, I am a Ravenclaw, after all.” 

“Agreed. So how was your summer?” 

Looking at the girl sitting next to him as she started talking animately about her summer, Cedric took in the slight scattering of freckles on her face and the way the sunlight reflected in her hair. He hadn’t actually thought about it, but she was quite beautiful. There was something about her smile and her blue eyes. He found himself enjoying her company immensely and wondered silently why they hadn’t spent much time together before. 

They were in the middle of a discussion on whether or not Gryffindor would win the Quidditch cup this year again, when a shadow fell over them. They both looked up, and Kayla recognized the Asian girl immediately.

“Cho!” Cedric shot up like he’d been burnt, and took his girlfriend’s hand.

“Hi,” Kayla smiled, and Cho gave a half-smile back.

“Are you busy?” The younger girl asked Cedric, who glanced at Kayla before shaking his head.

He offered Kayla smile as he took Cho’s hand. “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” Kayla said and watched as the couple walked away.

Turning back to her sketchbook, she switched to a blank page. The pencil seemed to fly across the paper on its own, and when she paid attention to what she was actually drawing, familiar tousled hair, kind eyes and a beautiful crooked grin stared back at her. She stared at it for a second, her brows furrowed as she studied the face on the paper. Why had his face been the thing her mind wanted to draw? She didn’t draw people often, practically never. Sighing, Kayla looked at up at the sky the exact time a drop of rain hit her on the nose. Squealing, she packed her things quickly and ran towards the castle as the rain started pouring. As she rounded the wall outside the Great Hall, she collided with someone, so hard that she had to grab the front of the persons robes to avoid toppling over. Looking up she saw Cedric, a surprised look on his face as he held onto her upper arms.

“Sorry! I didn’t see you,” Kayla panted, and much to her dismay she found herself blushing. Where did that come from?

“No bother, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Cedric smiled, and couldn't help but to reach up and brush her wet hair from her face.

Kayla suddenly had trouble breathing. “I’m getting you wet,” she stated.

“I don’t mind you getting me wet,” he said, and pink spots appeared on his cheeks. “I mean, I don’t mind, I mean it’s okay,” he stuttered and let go of her arm.

She became suddenly aware that she was holding onto his robes, and took a step back, dropping her hands. “Good, good. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she smiled and moved past him to go up to Ravenclaw Tower.

Cedric sighed as he watched her walk away. He didn’t know what was going on inside his head. When Cho had come out, he’d felt a small flicked of disappointment in his chest. For the first time, her embrace didn’t feel as comforting, her kisses felt wrong somehow, and her behaviour irritated him. He told himself to talk to Lori about it in the morning, and to try to figure out what was going on.

\--

“You look like crap,” Lori stated when she met Cedric in the common room before breakfast the next morning. 

“Thanks,” he mumbled, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. He’d slept terribly, his dreams plagued by images of Cho and Kayla that had him waking up almost every hour. “Can we talk?”

Lori nodded. “Yeah, of course. Something wrong?”

Shaking his head, Cedric motioned for her to follow him out of the portrait hole. They went up a flight of stairs, and then into an empty corridor where Lori looked expectedly at her friend, waiting for him to speak. He sighed, and took a deep breath. “I think I have feelings for Kayla Wood.” 

The Irish girl raised her eyebrows. “Are you serious? Not that I doubt you,” she was quick to add, “but Ced, you barely know the girl. And what about Cho?”

Cedric sighed, and rubbed his eyes. “I know, I know. I feel like a bloody fool.” His grey eyes met Lori’s green ones. “I don’t know how I feel.” He looked down, suddenly embarrassed, and the next line was delivered to his shoes. “All I know is that when I look at her, something flutters, in my stomach.”

Lori put her hand on his shoulder. “You should take some time to think about this, Ced. You don’t know her very well. Are you willing to possibly throw away your relationship with Cho for a crush?” 

He didn’t answer right away, which made her nervous. She liked Kayla, a lot actually and definitely more so than Cho, but that didn’t change the fact that Cedric and Cho was in a relationship. She loved the man like a brother, but she wouldn’t stand for him cheating on Cho. 

“Come on lover boy, let’s get some breakfast.”


	5. Chapter 5

Tuesday morning came with more rain and a thick layer of dark clouds, in which the sun had no chance to break through. Kayla sighed as she sipped her tea, already feeling the gloom of the day because of the weather. 

“Cheer up,” Sonya comforted her friend at breakfast in the Great Hall. “We have Umbridge in ten minutes; that should brighten your spirits.”

The blonde snickered. “Thanks, love.”

A few minutes later, a talking group of seventh years made their way up to the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom. Sonya and Kayla spoke low of Umbridge, and what she might do based on her less than warming speech at the welcoming feast. Rumours of her views on teaching practical magic had spread like wildfire through the school since the fifth years class the previous afternoon, and it was safe to say that nearly every student who entered the classroom was worried about their N.E.W.T.s. 

Umbridge was sitting at the desk when they entered, and Kayla and Sonya shared a look before finding seats in the middle row. Within a few minutes everyone had settled in, and Umbridge stood up and walked around the desk.

“Good morning, students.” 

There were a few tired, “good mornings,” in reply, and Umbridge shook her head.

“That won't do. I would like you to please say, `Good morning, Professor Umbridge´. Let us try again, shall we? Good morning, students.”

“Good morning, Professor Umbridge,” the class echoed back, though more than a few of the voices was sarcastically toned. 

“Good, good,” she said sweetly, looking out over the class. “Now, wands away and quills out, please.” 

For what wasn't the first, nor would it be the last time, Kayla and Sonya exchanged a look that clearly read discontent. It looked like the rumours of no practical magic was true. As the class wore on, and the more Umbridge talked, the more people started to lose their concentration. More than one set of eyes wandered over to Cedric when she talked about not letting the delusions of other people influence your thinking. What this had to do with the subject at hand, no one really knew. Then Damon Clark, Ravenclaw, raised his hand and asked the question on everybody's mind.

Without learning the practical defensive spells, how would they fare at the N.E.W.T.s, let alone out in the real world where all sorts of evil things were waiting for them?

The question earned him detention, and a rant from Umbridge in which she declared, in other terms, that both Dumbledore and Harry Potter were mad, attention seeking liars and that she would not accept any of those lies in her class. After that statement, everybody's eyes were on Cedric. Kayla saw the clenching of his jaw and his hands curled into fists underneath the table. 

The moment the bell rang Cedric shot out of his seat and was out the door faster than Kayla could blink. When she came outside the with rest of the students, she saw him racing up the stars and disappear into a corridor. After a split second hesitation she took after him, ignoring Sonya calling her name behind her. Slightly out of breath she arrived at a corridor, empty but for the robe clad figure staring out the window, shoulder slumped . Kayla moved forward slowly, and only called his name moments before she put her hand on his shoulder.

“I didn’t think it’d be so hard listening to her lies,” he said after a few seconds, his voice low and slightly shaky.

“She’s a clueless hag, don't listen to her.”

This was met with a dry chuckle, and then he sighed. “Why couldn’t I say something? Do something? Harry could.” He turned around to face her, and she could see the anguish on his face. She realized then that he was hurting more about this thing with You-Know-Who than he let on. Without a word, she stepped in closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. In return, his arms went around her middle and he dropped his head on her shoulder. His body trembled against hers, and she realized he was crying. Showing no signs of having noticed, other than holding him tighter, she raised a shaky hand and caressed his hair. Her neck became damp, both from his breath and his silent tears.

She took a deep breath, and wondered here all these feelings came from. Her heart was racing, and she was well aware of the feeling of his hard body against hers. She didn’t know how many minutes they stood there silently before she felt him slowly pull back. He turned his face away from her, and raised his sleeve to wipe at his eyes. As he faced her again, there was no indication of his tears but for some redness in his eyes. 

“I'm sorry for blubbering all over you,” he said softly, hand in his hair.

Kayla shook her head slightly, and stuck her hands in the pockets of her robes. Her fingers were itching to get back into his hair. “Don't worry about it. I know it's really none of my business, but are you okay?”

“I thought so,” Cedric sighed. Then he seemed to shake himself out of whatever mood he'd had, and offered her a crooked grin. “Don't you have class?”

With a groan, she remembered that she did in fact have Arithmancy and needed to get going or risk being late. And Professor Vector did not accept tardiness. “Bugger, I've gotta run. Listen, I know we don't know each other that well and you have no reason to trust my word but I promise I won't mention this to anyone.”

The look of relief on his face spoke more than words. “Thank you.”

She was late to Arithmancy, but as she slid down in the seat next to Zachary and mumbled an excuse to Professor Vector, she couldn't bring herself to care. 

–

“I've been looking everywhere for you. Where did you go?” Lori spoke low, sitting down next to Cedric at the lunch table. Truth be told, she was worried about her friend. She'd heard from Benjamin what had happened in Umbridge's class, and knowing Cedric she knew he'd be hurting even if he didn't admit it. Teenage boys and their stupid machoness. 

“I needed to think. Alone,” he snapped, not looking up from his beef casserole. After Kayla practically ran to her next class Cedric, who had a free period, used that time to lie on his bed and look up at the ceiling. Not very exciting admittedly, but it offered him the peace and quiet he wished for. 

“You're not getting off that easy.” The redhead gave him a pointed look before turning to talk to Benjamin. 

Feeling bad about his harsh words, he touched her back as he stood from the table. She didn't falter in her conversation, but Cedric knew that they were okay. They always were. He slung the strap of his book bag over his shoulder as he walked over to the Ravenclaw table. Despite his destination being Cho, his eyes wandered to the freckled blonde as she sat with her friends. He quickly snapped his eyes back forward, and willed the feeling in his stomach to go away. Stopping by Cho's seat, he lightly put his hand on her shoulder. 

Her face lit up when their eyes met, and she let her fork drop to the table. Saying goodbye to her friends she stood up and took his hand, before they made their way to the Transfigurations courtyard. Cedric led her over to a bench which offered them some privacy, beside a large tree that covered them from the light drizzle. 

“Did you hear about Umbridge's class?” He asked, looking down at their joined hands. 

“Yes, I've heard she's awful! She gave Harry detention for a week.”

“She's a clueless hag,” Cedric spoke bitterly, and pretended he didn't notice the look of disapproval on Cho's face. “I'm sorry, she just gets under my skin. All those lies about You-Know-Who...”

“Have you talked to Harry about it?”

He frowned. “Why would I talk to Harry about it?” 

“I just thought...Because he was there too, in the maze.”

Looking away from her, he instead focused on the group of Slytherins, most likely first years by the look of it, who was trying very hard to pretend that they weren't looking at him. He sighed. “I don't want to talk about it, Cho.” He looked back at his girlfriend, and it was with a disturbing realization that he wished her eyes were blue instead of brown. Pushing his guilt away, he stood up. “Gotta run, McGonagall will have my head if I'm late.” He pressed a quick kiss to Cho's forehead before collecting his book bag and making his way to his class.


End file.
